It is almost surprising how easy it is to get back into Tokyo life after a week of sleeping on tatami and eating wafu food. Big city life can be addictive, and sometimes it takes travelling through a countryside devoid of functioning ATMs or subways to fully appreciate its comforts. I was just getting back into the work-eat-sleep-study routine when early Thursday morning, a fairly large earthquake hit. It had a force of 6.8 on the Richter scale, and although the epicentre was off the coast of Ibaraki-ken, this was the strongest I’ve experienced so far. Although it was quite scary at the time, being woken up by my shaking bed, I must say that I usually don’t worry about the possibility of an earthquake. Of course, seeing the devastating results of the recent quake in China has made me very aware of how serious a matter it is. Yet, living in modern and comfortable Tokyo I do as the Japanese do: I am aware of safety precautions, but I go about my day-to-day business, not worrying too much about a possible quake. Of course, the earthquake in China has been big news with Hitachi as well, as the company has many factories and offices in China as well as Chinese employees working in Japan. Luckily, my Chinese colleagues have not lost any friends or family members in the quake, but they are understandably worried. Hitachi has pledged financial aid to the stricken area (as it has also done in the case of Myanmar). It makes me proud to be a (distant) member of the Hitachi family...
Other than that, the week after Golden Week has been fairly quiet. Walking through Marunouchi on the 7th, I did see several pro-Tibet protesters, who had turned up in response to the Chinese president’s visit to Tokyo. Apart from the Tibetan flags and banners, the demonstrators, standing in central Marunouchi, looked surprisingly like ordinary salarymen, dressed in suits and greying around the temples. Apart from that, the only big thing this week for me was the Tokyo International Singers concert on the 10th. It was great; the choir sounded a good deal better than before Golden Week, and the concert hall was quite full. Biggest and best surprise for me was to see the seven smiling faces in the front row, all belonging to fellow JPP students. The choir will give another concert in July, singing lighter repertoire such as songs from musicals and popular Japanese songs. Invitations will follow!
Posts tonen met het label hitachi. Alle posts tonen
Posts tonen met het label hitachi. Alle posts tonen
maandag 19 mei 2008
vrijdag 25 april 2008
XIV. Yarikata
Suddenly I find myself halfway through my stay in Japan, which is a very strange feeling. I have already experienced so many new things that January feels ages ago, yet I can't believe how fast the days fly by. I try not to think too much about leaving Japan and focus on Golden Week instead. Having worked with Hitachi for 2 months, I feel in need of a holiday, even though I only work 4 days a week and my overtime hours are limited. I must say I have gained a new respect for the salarymen and office ladies of Japan. Granted, the image of the overworked, underpaid and sleep-deprived salaryman is a cliché, but when I observe my colleagues I do think the company makes up a much bigger part of their life than is the case in the Netherlands. For example, when his wife delivered their first child, my colleague only had the weekend off and returned to his desk on Monday, his wife still in the hospital. He had been on a business trip a week before his wife was due. My female colleagues are, naturally, at the bottom of the unit’s hierarchy. Usually they stay longest, often clocking up to 3 hours overtime. Managers, too, stay longer than they have to. Often, their business trips fall in weekends or on holidays, in order to limit the impact on normal business proceedings.
But does all this devotion make the Japanese more productive or better at what they do? Working at a division that is largely involved in information gathering and dissemination, as well as generating a good deal of information in English, I must say the answer is no. Over the years, Hitachi has developed a rather peculiar form of English. In an earlier report, I already mentioned the infamous Hitachi-go: a mixture of business Japanese, technical terms, jargon and a couple of "invented words," that even employees of similar Japanese companies don’t understand. The term "monozukuri" is an excellent example. It means something along the lines of manufacturing, although it can also include design or management of production processes. Japanese from outside the company generally do not know what it means. In fact, the word is so wholly untranslatable that it often appears in Hitachi's English-language texts as well.
This special Hitachi-speak leaves its mark on most English-language texts we produce. In Brussels I received intensive article-writing training, learning to write succinct and accessible articles, often about complex subjects. There are a few tricks of the trade, such as concise, enticing headlines, clear phrasing, and putting the essence of an article in the first few sentences whilst saving background information (that which would usually be put in the introduction of books and essays) at the end of the article. After all, most readers have little time and even shorter attention spans, and getting the correct information across is essential. Unfortunately, all my pieces for Hitachi's newsletter (including some really good headlines) were reviewed and largely rewritten by a Japanese colleague, rendering them as dry and factual (and, frankly, boring) as the articles from previous issues. This confrontation with the "yarikata" (way of doing things) of the company, which is essentially reducing the effectiveness of its own (information) products, was a little frustrating.
At the core of the problem is, I think, the reliance on the company's yarikata. Once a certain practice has been established, it is virtually impossible to change it. And even if you manage to make some changes, your work has to go through such a long chain of people that by the time it comes back to you it’s hardly recognizable. The same thing often goes for top-down instructions. There is a popular children’s game where someone whispers a sentence into his neighbour's ear, who in turn whispers it into the next person's ear, who whispers it into someone else's ear, and so forth, until the last person in the group is reached and he then repeats the sentence out loud. Laughter is the result: the original meaning of the sentence is completely lost. This whispering hierarchy, with instructions trickling down from bucho to kacho to sempai, can form a communication problem even larger than the language, and sometimes results in superfluous work.
Yet, despite these more trying aspects of working in a Japanese work environment, it is still a great experience- not because of the system, but because of the people who are all very friendly and at the same time quite committed to the work we do. Even though I want to work to live, instead of living to work as some Japanese are doing, I do think the devotion of Japanese to their company can be fascinating to watch. If a little impractical at times.
But does all this devotion make the Japanese more productive or better at what they do? Working at a division that is largely involved in information gathering and dissemination, as well as generating a good deal of information in English, I must say the answer is no. Over the years, Hitachi has developed a rather peculiar form of English. In an earlier report, I already mentioned the infamous Hitachi-go: a mixture of business Japanese, technical terms, jargon and a couple of "invented words," that even employees of similar Japanese companies don’t understand. The term "monozukuri" is an excellent example. It means something along the lines of manufacturing, although it can also include design or management of production processes. Japanese from outside the company generally do not know what it means. In fact, the word is so wholly untranslatable that it often appears in Hitachi's English-language texts as well.
This special Hitachi-speak leaves its mark on most English-language texts we produce. In Brussels I received intensive article-writing training, learning to write succinct and accessible articles, often about complex subjects. There are a few tricks of the trade, such as concise, enticing headlines, clear phrasing, and putting the essence of an article in the first few sentences whilst saving background information (that which would usually be put in the introduction of books and essays) at the end of the article. After all, most readers have little time and even shorter attention spans, and getting the correct information across is essential. Unfortunately, all my pieces for Hitachi's newsletter (including some really good headlines) were reviewed and largely rewritten by a Japanese colleague, rendering them as dry and factual (and, frankly, boring) as the articles from previous issues. This confrontation with the "yarikata" (way of doing things) of the company, which is essentially reducing the effectiveness of its own (information) products, was a little frustrating.
At the core of the problem is, I think, the reliance on the company's yarikata. Once a certain practice has been established, it is virtually impossible to change it. And even if you manage to make some changes, your work has to go through such a long chain of people that by the time it comes back to you it’s hardly recognizable. The same thing often goes for top-down instructions. There is a popular children’s game where someone whispers a sentence into his neighbour's ear, who in turn whispers it into the next person's ear, who whispers it into someone else's ear, and so forth, until the last person in the group is reached and he then repeats the sentence out loud. Laughter is the result: the original meaning of the sentence is completely lost. This whispering hierarchy, with instructions trickling down from bucho to kacho to sempai, can form a communication problem even larger than the language, and sometimes results in superfluous work.
Yet, despite these more trying aspects of working in a Japanese work environment, it is still a great experience- not because of the system, but because of the people who are all very friendly and at the same time quite committed to the work we do. Even though I want to work to live, instead of living to work as some Japanese are doing, I do think the devotion of Japanese to their company can be fascinating to watch. If a little impractical at times.
maandag 7 april 2008
XI. 入社式
Time flies when you’re having fun. Or when you’re working hard. In my case it’s both. I can’t believe that my first month with Hitachi passed by so quickly. For me it was a tougher month than I expected, as I needed to get used to my new place, my new job and especially my fuller schedule. I must admit I didn’t have much energy left for planning trips, planning Golden Week, going sightseeing etc. But as I have established a routine, I find there’s room in my head again for other things, and I’m beginning to enjoy Tokyo-as-a-tourist again. Perhaps this has got something to do with the countless Hanami trips I made. Apart from Hibiya and Ichigaya, I have now also seen the blossoms at the Sumida Kooen (Asakusa), Yasukuni jinja, (where we saw great traditional dances as well), the Imperial Gardens and Shinjuku Gyooen. Shinjuku Gyooen is by far the most gorgeous park I’ve been to and it’s definitely going to be one of my favourite summer hangouts.
At work, things are still going well. One of my bucho’s regularly requests me to do small research assignments for him, which always take more time than expected (partially because they can be difficult, but also because the research question is often rather vague). Apart from that, I have my own CSR research which is going slower than expected -due to aforementioned assignments- but, as my other bucho regularly takes time to discuss my progress with me, I still have a good feeling about it. My first deadline is at the end of this month, so I’ll really have to keep up the pace. This is why, when I stay longer, I stay not just because it’s good form, but because I actually have work to do.
Luckily it’s not just all work and no play. On Thursday my colleague and I went to Hitachi’s 入社式 (nyuushashiki, welcome ceremony for new employees), which turned out to take place in the Tokyo Big Sight Convention Centre in Odaiba. It was great to get out of the office and travel with the Yurikamome line through sunny Odaiba. With the nice sea breeze it must be a great place to escape the summer heat. The convention centre looked like something straight out of a Star Trek episode, with huge bronze-coloured inverted pyramids resting on four broad corner pillars. Walking underneath it, the building reminded me a little of Le Grande Arc de la Défense. Inside, we were ushered into a huge hall where a stage had been erected, flanked by large TV screens showing the Hitachi logo. Rows and rows of 入社員 (nyuushain, new employees), all dressed in black suits and white shirts, were patiently waiting for the ceremony to begin. My colleague told me that Hitachi’s Head Office has recruited one thousand 入社員 this year- it was quite a sight. As the ceremony began, the lights in the hall were dimmed and the stage lit up with a Disney-esque light show accompanied by similarly dreamy orchestral music. A great entrance for Furukawa-shachō, whose speech was short but inspirational (as far as I could understand). Many other speeches followed, including one by a 入社員 who subsequently got to shake Furukawa’s hand- he must have a great future ahead of him. The ceremony lasted several hours and although I tried my best to understand as much as I could, it was hard to keep focused. My colleague even dozed off. But it was very nice to experience this part of Japanese corporate life. Our division will get its own 入社員, too: on the 10th of April we’ll go out together for his welcome party. I’m looking forward to meeting him, but first I’ll have some manual labour to do as I will have to move to another desk, which is now cluttered in a way only Japanese desks can be...
At work, things are still going well. One of my bucho’s regularly requests me to do small research assignments for him, which always take more time than expected (partially because they can be difficult, but also because the research question is often rather vague). Apart from that, I have my own CSR research which is going slower than expected -due to aforementioned assignments- but, as my other bucho regularly takes time to discuss my progress with me, I still have a good feeling about it. My first deadline is at the end of this month, so I’ll really have to keep up the pace. This is why, when I stay longer, I stay not just because it’s good form, but because I actually have work to do.
Luckily it’s not just all work and no play. On Thursday my colleague and I went to Hitachi’s 入社式 (nyuushashiki, welcome ceremony for new employees), which turned out to take place in the Tokyo Big Sight Convention Centre in Odaiba. It was great to get out of the office and travel with the Yurikamome line through sunny Odaiba. With the nice sea breeze it must be a great place to escape the summer heat. The convention centre looked like something straight out of a Star Trek episode, with huge bronze-coloured inverted pyramids resting on four broad corner pillars. Walking underneath it, the building reminded me a little of Le Grande Arc de la Défense. Inside, we were ushered into a huge hall where a stage had been erected, flanked by large TV screens showing the Hitachi logo. Rows and rows of 入社員 (nyuushain, new employees), all dressed in black suits and white shirts, were patiently waiting for the ceremony to begin. My colleague told me that Hitachi’s Head Office has recruited one thousand 入社員 this year- it was quite a sight. As the ceremony began, the lights in the hall were dimmed and the stage lit up with a Disney-esque light show accompanied by similarly dreamy orchestral music. A great entrance for Furukawa-shachō, whose speech was short but inspirational (as far as I could understand). Many other speeches followed, including one by a 入社員 who subsequently got to shake Furukawa’s hand- he must have a great future ahead of him. The ceremony lasted several hours and although I tried my best to understand as much as I could, it was hard to keep focused. My colleague even dozed off. But it was very nice to experience this part of Japanese corporate life. Our division will get its own 入社員, too: on the 10th of April we’ll go out together for his welcome party. I’m looking forward to meeting him, but first I’ll have some manual labour to do as I will have to move to another desk, which is now cluttered in a way only Japanese desks can be...
vrijdag 28 maart 2008
X. Spring
Spring in Tokyo is quite a spectacle. This week, all the cherry trees in the city decided to bloom simultaneously, turning the parks and boulevards of the city into bright swatches of pink. On Wednesday I went cherry-blossom viewing with a couple of JPP classmates. During our lunch break we went to Hibiya Park, which has immediately become one of my favourite spots. This verdant pocket of tranquillity right in the middle of busy Marunouchi is an example of what I love about Tokyo. It has got an idyllic pond and a beautifully landscaped garden- surrounded by some of Tokyo’s tallest high-rise buildings. I love this contrast. Later in the afternoon, we went to the Ichigaya area where we walked along a boulevard lined with cherry trees. Salarymen were taking pictures of the blossom with their cell phones and students sat on blue plastic sheets for an early hanami. As the sun set, the slanting evening light rendered the blossoms almost transparent and made them look even more delicate. As I strolled down the boulevard, taking lots of pictures and gazing out over the river, I could completely understand the Japanese fascination with this fragile and transient beauty. It made me think of Lucebert’s poem ‘de zeer oude zingt’(the very old one sings), famous for its much-quoted line ‘alles van waarde is weerloos.’ (all that is valuable is defenseless)
On a more mundane level, this week at Hitachi has been busy but interesting. The research assignment I got from one of my bosses turned out to be more difficult and time-consuming than I had expected. I love a challenge, but in the end I wasn’t completely satisfied with my piece; basing research on online sources only is something I’m still very sceptical about. However, my boss seemed content with the end result and announced with a smile that more research work was to come. But for the time being I focused on assisting with the preparation for the HISTEP orientation day, cutting and folding nametags. On this orientation day the Japanese teachers that will be going to the US and Europe as part of the HISTEP exchange programme were briefed about their stay abroad. The first part of the day consisted of discussing practicalities concerning travel and the exchange programme’s schedule. It was relatively easy to follow and amusing at times, as every little detail was addressed and often discussed in great length. The teachers worried about things like fitting everyone’s luggage in a European taxi (a problem that we Westerners would just solve on the spot) or whether there would be a blackboard in the classroom (I assured them that yes, usually, European classrooms provide for adequate teaching material). Although this Japanese trait of meticulously planning everything beforehand often seems funny and sometimes stifling, it must be said that when Japanese plan something or create a schedule, there are very few mishaps or delays. Still, I think they go too far sometimes in their desire to plan and control everything beforehand, focusing more on the dangers and difficulties of such a trip than anticipating the pleasure it will give.
A similar principle applies to business meetings. I am, for example, allowed to sit in on the team’s weekly meetings on Friday mornings (to my surprise, I can understand a reasonable part of what is being said). What strikes me about these meetings is that we spend a lot of time going over what has been discussed last week, checking off whether everything is still going according to plan (it always is) and only discuss a handful of new additions to the unit’s planning, which, of course, have been discussed beforehand in one of the countless uchiawase (preliminary meetings). Coming from a country where holding meetings and reaching consensus are essential elements of the decision-making process, I understand why regularly confirming we’re still on the same page can be key to the team’s success, but sometimes I wonder whether all those meetings are really helping us improve our performance. Then again, if precision and perfection are what you’re going for, then the Japanese approach is definitely the best.
Luckily, it’s not just ‘all work and no play’ in the office. On Monday the China Business Department took me out for lunch in a traditional Japanese restaurant. It was great! They are a very lively group and asked me lots of questions. And although I can hold my own in casual conversation, I was glad they had a lot of patience, rephrasing or clarifying their questions in Japanese instead of switching to English, as some people do. It was great to get to know them better and I’m truly in awe of the Chinese in the team, whose Japanese is virtually accent-free. Apart from the Chinese team, we (my female colleagues and I) regularly have lunch with women from other departments and today, we had lunch with several men from our team as well. At the moment I am really looking forward to next week, as I will attend the 入社式 (welcome ceremony for new employees) next Tuesday. I’m curious to see what kind of people from my generation start working for Hitachi and how they are welcomed. I’m sure it will be another memorable ‘only in Japan’ experience and I will definitely write about it in my next report.
On a more mundane level, this week at Hitachi has been busy but interesting. The research assignment I got from one of my bosses turned out to be more difficult and time-consuming than I had expected. I love a challenge, but in the end I wasn’t completely satisfied with my piece; basing research on online sources only is something I’m still very sceptical about. However, my boss seemed content with the end result and announced with a smile that more research work was to come. But for the time being I focused on assisting with the preparation for the HISTEP orientation day, cutting and folding nametags. On this orientation day the Japanese teachers that will be going to the US and Europe as part of the HISTEP exchange programme were briefed about their stay abroad. The first part of the day consisted of discussing practicalities concerning travel and the exchange programme’s schedule. It was relatively easy to follow and amusing at times, as every little detail was addressed and often discussed in great length. The teachers worried about things like fitting everyone’s luggage in a European taxi (a problem that we Westerners would just solve on the spot) or whether there would be a blackboard in the classroom (I assured them that yes, usually, European classrooms provide for adequate teaching material). Although this Japanese trait of meticulously planning everything beforehand often seems funny and sometimes stifling, it must be said that when Japanese plan something or create a schedule, there are very few mishaps or delays. Still, I think they go too far sometimes in their desire to plan and control everything beforehand, focusing more on the dangers and difficulties of such a trip than anticipating the pleasure it will give.
A similar principle applies to business meetings. I am, for example, allowed to sit in on the team’s weekly meetings on Friday mornings (to my surprise, I can understand a reasonable part of what is being said). What strikes me about these meetings is that we spend a lot of time going over what has been discussed last week, checking off whether everything is still going according to plan (it always is) and only discuss a handful of new additions to the unit’s planning, which, of course, have been discussed beforehand in one of the countless uchiawase (preliminary meetings). Coming from a country where holding meetings and reaching consensus are essential elements of the decision-making process, I understand why regularly confirming we’re still on the same page can be key to the team’s success, but sometimes I wonder whether all those meetings are really helping us improve our performance. Then again, if precision and perfection are what you’re going for, then the Japanese approach is definitely the best.
Luckily, it’s not just ‘all work and no play’ in the office. On Monday the China Business Department took me out for lunch in a traditional Japanese restaurant. It was great! They are a very lively group and asked me lots of questions. And although I can hold my own in casual conversation, I was glad they had a lot of patience, rephrasing or clarifying their questions in Japanese instead of switching to English, as some people do. It was great to get to know them better and I’m truly in awe of the Chinese in the team, whose Japanese is virtually accent-free. Apart from the Chinese team, we (my female colleagues and I) regularly have lunch with women from other departments and today, we had lunch with several men from our team as well. At the moment I am really looking forward to next week, as I will attend the 入社式 (welcome ceremony for new employees) next Tuesday. I’m curious to see what kind of people from my generation start working for Hitachi and how they are welcomed. I’m sure it will be another memorable ‘only in Japan’ experience and I will definitely write about it in my next report.
vrijdag 21 maart 2008
IX. Museum
Living, working and studying in Tokyo is a typical case of “work hard, play hard.” Work hard: although my working hours are more than decent and the work itself is very interesting, I am genuinely tired each night. At Hitachi, I have been working on my Corporate Social Responsibility research assignment, drawing up a framework and research questions. I’m very enthusiastic about this research project and don’t mind a little 残業 to make a deadline. Apart from this research, I sometimes get additional tasks such as translating or doing some research for projects that the team’s members are working on. The newspaper cuttings and magazines that are read by my colleagues are also passed onto me. I try to read most articles and grasp at least the essence of what is written, but I find my lack of kanji-knowledge renders me virtually illiterate. Especially since when someone reads parts of the article out loud to me, I can understand what is being said. This can be frustrating at times, although I try to give it a positive spin, trying to memorize new kanji as I encounter them in e-mails and the like. When it comes to using the Japanese-language version of Windows I can generally circumvent the problem as I have enough experience to know where I can find commands, even though I can’t read the kanji.
Play hard: whenever I have an afternoon to spare, I try to go and explore a new part of Tokyo. Last week on Wednesday I met up with some other JPP students for a drink at one of our favourite cafes in the Shin-Marunouchi building. An essential part of the Tokyo experience: drinking coffee & tea on the 7th floor terrace with CoolJazz floating out of the speakers and a view of the Marunouchi skyline. That day we also explored Ueno, strolling around the Tokyo University campus and having dinner at a dodgy izakaya crammed with blue-collar workers. This Wednesday was memorable as well. Although I must admit that I don’t know a lot about video games and had expected to hear a bit more about the company during our site visit to Sony ComputerEntertainment, it was nice to see how advanced the latest game computers are. I loved the idea of linking PS3’s worldwide to create a supercomputer capable of the most intricate calculations. It rather reminded me of SETI, a project that uses linked-up PC’s in order to scan the universe for signs of extraterrestrial life forms. It sounds like something out of a science fiction novel, but it is, in fact, a serious research project by the University of California, Berkeley.
Inspired by futuristic ideas, we spent the rest of the afternoon at the Mori Art Museum in Roppongi. It was terrific! We had an amazing view over Tokyo and saw some great pieces of art. The visit reminded me of how much I love modern/contemporary art and so I decided to spend part of my free (but rainy) Thursday at the Hara Museum of Contemporary Art, which was equally impressive. This is one of the things I love about living in a metropolis like Tokyo: there is such a large volume and variety of museums to choose from and you can pretty much go and visit one whenever you feel like it as some stay open until late. It is nice to get out of the city once in a while, like I did last weekend when I went for a hike at Mount Mitake, but museums and cultural life in general keep pulling me back to the city. There are more cultural things I still want to experience, such as a tea ceremony or a Kabuki play, so I’ve started to compile a list- I don’t want to miss a thing.
Play hard: whenever I have an afternoon to spare, I try to go and explore a new part of Tokyo. Last week on Wednesday I met up with some other JPP students for a drink at one of our favourite cafes in the Shin-Marunouchi building. An essential part of the Tokyo experience: drinking coffee & tea on the 7th floor terrace with CoolJazz floating out of the speakers and a view of the Marunouchi skyline. That day we also explored Ueno, strolling around the Tokyo University campus and having dinner at a dodgy izakaya crammed with blue-collar workers. This Wednesday was memorable as well. Although I must admit that I don’t know a lot about video games and had expected to hear a bit more about the company during our site visit to Sony ComputerEntertainment, it was nice to see how advanced the latest game computers are. I loved the idea of linking PS3’s worldwide to create a supercomputer capable of the most intricate calculations. It rather reminded me of SETI, a project that uses linked-up PC’s in order to scan the universe for signs of extraterrestrial life forms. It sounds like something out of a science fiction novel, but it is, in fact, a serious research project by the University of California, Berkeley.
Inspired by futuristic ideas, we spent the rest of the afternoon at the Mori Art Museum in Roppongi. It was terrific! We had an amazing view over Tokyo and saw some great pieces of art. The visit reminded me of how much I love modern/contemporary art and so I decided to spend part of my free (but rainy) Thursday at the Hara Museum of Contemporary Art, which was equally impressive. This is one of the things I love about living in a metropolis like Tokyo: there is such a large volume and variety of museums to choose from and you can pretty much go and visit one whenever you feel like it as some stay open until late. It is nice to get out of the city once in a while, like I did last weekend when I went for a hike at Mount Mitake, but museums and cultural life in general keep pulling me back to the city. There are more cultural things I still want to experience, such as a tea ceremony or a Kabuki play, so I’ve started to compile a list- I don’t want to miss a thing.
maandag 17 maart 2008
VIII. Apaato
Settling in in my new living/work situation is surprisingly easy, despite the occasional telephone-related hiccup. I love my new apartment. Although I do miss living in central Tokyo from time to time, my new neighbourhood is quite nice. It has got several supermarkets that stay open until late, and several small restaurants and cafes.
But the thing I like best is the apartment itself. Located on the 10th floor of the Hitachi dorm building, with the station ridiculously close by, it is very comfortable to live in. The building is so new that no one has lived in my apartment before me, which is a first, and the apartment itself has got everything I need- more, even. Apart from being quite spacious for Tokyo standards, it has got a wooden floor which I’ve always wanted to have, a balcony, a kitchen, a washing machine and, above all, a bath! Most appliances are, of course, Hitachi products. The only drawback is that all the buttons have kanji on them, some of which I can’t read, and all the manuals are in Japanese. But I figured I’d just give it a go- it was a great moment of victory once I got my bath to re-heat the water without actually refilling.
I don’t spend a lot of time at home, though, since there is still too much to do. Even in my own neighbourhood, there is a large temple complex just a short walk away. It’s a very nice place, with locals coming to pray at the various temples and old men with huge cameras taking pictures of early blossoms. With all its stray cats and tiny dark shops the place seems like it has come straight out of a Murakami novel. Very different is Colton Plaza, a huge American-style mall not far from my place, where the less culturally inclined locals go to spend their Sundays.
Of course, as interesting as my new neighbourhood might be, I still go up to Tokyo in weekends to have fun. As my choir rehearses near Yoyogi park, I figured it would be nice to finally go and visit Meiji-jingu. I went there last week, late in the afternoon. It was quiet at the shrine, but the sunlight was just amazing. Walking around a bit, taking pictures, I was just about to leave when a traditional Japanese wedding procession came out of the temple and started walking across the large square. I’ve been told that these are a fairly regular occurrence; still it was a beautiful sight to behold. Equally impressive, although less high-brow, was the visit to Studio Alta in Shinjuku. I went there with some friends from the Dutch embassy and we had lots of fun sampling contemporary Japanese youth culture, from frilly lace dresses to cowboy Wellies.
It’s good to see that, although I am now working most of the time, I still have some time left to experience Tokyo and discover new places. I can’t wait until Hanami begins- I’m already scouting for good spots!
But the thing I like best is the apartment itself. Located on the 10th floor of the Hitachi dorm building, with the station ridiculously close by, it is very comfortable to live in. The building is so new that no one has lived in my apartment before me, which is a first, and the apartment itself has got everything I need- more, even. Apart from being quite spacious for Tokyo standards, it has got a wooden floor which I’ve always wanted to have, a balcony, a kitchen, a washing machine and, above all, a bath! Most appliances are, of course, Hitachi products. The only drawback is that all the buttons have kanji on them, some of which I can’t read, and all the manuals are in Japanese. But I figured I’d just give it a go- it was a great moment of victory once I got my bath to re-heat the water without actually refilling.
I don’t spend a lot of time at home, though, since there is still too much to do. Even in my own neighbourhood, there is a large temple complex just a short walk away. It’s a very nice place, with locals coming to pray at the various temples and old men with huge cameras taking pictures of early blossoms. With all its stray cats and tiny dark shops the place seems like it has come straight out of a Murakami novel. Very different is Colton Plaza, a huge American-style mall not far from my place, where the less culturally inclined locals go to spend their Sundays.
Of course, as interesting as my new neighbourhood might be, I still go up to Tokyo in weekends to have fun. As my choir rehearses near Yoyogi park, I figured it would be nice to finally go and visit Meiji-jingu. I went there last week, late in the afternoon. It was quiet at the shrine, but the sunlight was just amazing. Walking around a bit, taking pictures, I was just about to leave when a traditional Japanese wedding procession came out of the temple and started walking across the large square. I’ve been told that these are a fairly regular occurrence; still it was a beautiful sight to behold. Equally impressive, although less high-brow, was the visit to Studio Alta in Shinjuku. I went there with some friends from the Dutch embassy and we had lots of fun sampling contemporary Japanese youth culture, from frilly lace dresses to cowboy Wellies.
It’s good to see that, although I am now working most of the time, I still have some time left to experience Tokyo and discover new places. I can’t wait until Hanami begins- I’m already scouting for good spots!
woensdag 12 maart 2008
VII. Ltd.
After my first week at Hitachi, I can say that it’s great to work in a genuine Japanese company, where overtime is the rule and it’s udon for lunch. I feel very welcome. So far, the work seems interesting and my colleagues are really nice- although I must say it has been quite overwhelming to go from being on a holiday to suddenly having to go to work every day. It is nice, though, to be working again and engaging in slightly more intellectual activities after the past 6 months of intensive language study.
On my first day I was introduced to over 30 people working on my floor, which was quite daunting. Luckily, my self-introductions went well and after chatting for a bit, most people thought me very “joozu.” I am now in possession of a thick pile of meishi, but I must admit I forgot which names go with which faces. I do know everyone from my team, though, as each of them took some time to introduce me to their specific area of expertise. They are seven in all, but one lady is currently working in Brussels. That leaves two bucho’s (managers), one of whom is my direct superior, two male colleagues and two female colleagues. We work in an open-space office in rows of three desks, grouped together according to division. There are big windows on one side and there’s an open space with round tables, like we saw at Taisei. This is where we have our division meetings. Our office is on the 24th floor, which means the view is simply amazing, especially at sunset. If I didn’t have to work, I would just sit there all day with a cup of tea and a good book. However, I do have to work. Luckily, my working conditions are quite comfortable. I’ve got a big desk, a chair with adjustable armrests, my own cabinet and, if I crane my neck a little, a great view of Marunouchi’s skyscrapers. Almost everyone, including myself, works on small Hitachi laptops with tiny screens. Also, instead of fixed desk phones, we have mobile phones sitting in a docking station on our desk.
Hitachi is a rather traditional company, and it shows. At lunch time, for example, I go for lunch with my female colleagues, as the men go their own way. Also, although there are quite a lot of women working on our floor, all managers I have been introduced to are men. As I get to know my female colleagues better, I hope to be able to ask them what they think about this- and how they see their own career prospects. For now, I am still absorbing the experience of working at a Japanese company. There are so many things that would never work in a Dutch working environment, induce ridicule even, but are perfectly normal in a Japanese setting. For example the start and end of each working day are punctuated by Big Ben chimes, as well as the lunch break. Not to mention the strains of violin music that pour out of the loudspeakers at three in the afternoon, when it’s… exercise time! (everyone ignores the soothing female voice, instructing us to stretch our muscles and rotate our head)
Each morning at 8.50 sharp, our working day begins. I try to be at my desk before the bell, and so far I’ve succeeded. The commute to work is hell, but that’s part of the salaryman-experience (or so I keep telling myself). Getting from my station to Ichikawa station is usually ok. But then, waiting the train pull in at Ichikawa station, its windows steamed up and faces squashed against the door, I never believe I’ll make it to work –let alone on time. Yet, although maybe three people get off, I always manage to get on the train, along with at least ten other Japanese who were waiting with me. I am now learning where and how to stand, so that although I will inevitably be pushed about, at least my ribcage will remain intact. On moments like this, I love my mp3 player and the illusion of private space it creates. Without it, I don’t know how I would get through this daily ordeal.
Luckily the work itself more than compensates for this minor inconvenience. From day one, I have been taken good care of. One of the bucho’s has really gone out of his way to help me get as much out of my time with Hitachi as I can. Of course I will participate in the division’s daily work, but as the first few months there isn’t much to do for me, he has come up with the idea of letting me do some research on Corporate Social Responsibility, the way Hitachi is implementing it and how CSR relates to the development work of NGO’s and organizations like the EU and the UN. It really is great to be given this opportunity to learn more about something that really interests me. Finally, as cherries on the proverbial cake, I will be working with the brand division and the advertisement department for one week each. All in all things look more than promising. To quote a famous musical and childhood-favourite: I think I’m gonna like it here!
On my first day I was introduced to over 30 people working on my floor, which was quite daunting. Luckily, my self-introductions went well and after chatting for a bit, most people thought me very “joozu.” I am now in possession of a thick pile of meishi, but I must admit I forgot which names go with which faces. I do know everyone from my team, though, as each of them took some time to introduce me to their specific area of expertise. They are seven in all, but one lady is currently working in Brussels. That leaves two bucho’s (managers), one of whom is my direct superior, two male colleagues and two female colleagues. We work in an open-space office in rows of three desks, grouped together according to division. There are big windows on one side and there’s an open space with round tables, like we saw at Taisei. This is where we have our division meetings. Our office is on the 24th floor, which means the view is simply amazing, especially at sunset. If I didn’t have to work, I would just sit there all day with a cup of tea and a good book. However, I do have to work. Luckily, my working conditions are quite comfortable. I’ve got a big desk, a chair with adjustable armrests, my own cabinet and, if I crane my neck a little, a great view of Marunouchi’s skyscrapers. Almost everyone, including myself, works on small Hitachi laptops with tiny screens. Also, instead of fixed desk phones, we have mobile phones sitting in a docking station on our desk.
Hitachi is a rather traditional company, and it shows. At lunch time, for example, I go for lunch with my female colleagues, as the men go their own way. Also, although there are quite a lot of women working on our floor, all managers I have been introduced to are men. As I get to know my female colleagues better, I hope to be able to ask them what they think about this- and how they see their own career prospects. For now, I am still absorbing the experience of working at a Japanese company. There are so many things that would never work in a Dutch working environment, induce ridicule even, but are perfectly normal in a Japanese setting. For example the start and end of each working day are punctuated by Big Ben chimes, as well as the lunch break. Not to mention the strains of violin music that pour out of the loudspeakers at three in the afternoon, when it’s… exercise time! (everyone ignores the soothing female voice, instructing us to stretch our muscles and rotate our head)
Each morning at 8.50 sharp, our working day begins. I try to be at my desk before the bell, and so far I’ve succeeded. The commute to work is hell, but that’s part of the salaryman-experience (or so I keep telling myself). Getting from my station to Ichikawa station is usually ok. But then, waiting the train pull in at Ichikawa station, its windows steamed up and faces squashed against the door, I never believe I’ll make it to work –let alone on time. Yet, although maybe three people get off, I always manage to get on the train, along with at least ten other Japanese who were waiting with me. I am now learning where and how to stand, so that although I will inevitably be pushed about, at least my ribcage will remain intact. On moments like this, I love my mp3 player and the illusion of private space it creates. Without it, I don’t know how I would get through this daily ordeal.
Luckily the work itself more than compensates for this minor inconvenience. From day one, I have been taken good care of. One of the bucho’s has really gone out of his way to help me get as much out of my time with Hitachi as I can. Of course I will participate in the division’s daily work, but as the first few months there isn’t much to do for me, he has come up with the idea of letting me do some research on Corporate Social Responsibility, the way Hitachi is implementing it and how CSR relates to the development work of NGO’s and organizations like the EU and the UN. It really is great to be given this opportunity to learn more about something that really interests me. Finally, as cherries on the proverbial cake, I will be working with the brand division and the advertisement department for one week each. All in all things look more than promising. To quote a famous musical and childhood-favourite: I think I’m gonna like it here!
woensdag 20 februari 2008
IV. Countryside
Week 5 in Tokyo went by so fast that I didn’t have time to reflect, let alone write on, all the things I did. Luckily I have the photos to go by. This week was the first time I ventured outside of Tokyo (not counting my foray into the Kichijoji suburbs). On Saturday, I went to meet an Australian friend who has been living in Tokyo for over a year now, and a German friend who stopped by on her round-the-world travels. We went to Yokohama for the day, which was great fun. As it was just days after the beginning of the Chinese New Year, we decided to go to Yokohama’s Chinatown. Unfortunately we didn’t come across any celebrations, but we did visit several beautifully decorated temples and sampled all kinds of Chinese dishes in an all-you-can-eat restaurant. I have had Beijing Duck before, but never just its skin. What can I say… at least it was served in a nice sauce. Other highlights included the giant prawns and the mochi filled with azuki paste. The rice cakes were covered in sesame, and hot! Which is the best way to eat them, as it keeps the azuki filling from being too overpowering. After enjoying Chinatown’s many attractions (including a shop stuffed with panda bears and Hello Kitty), we went to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building near Shinjuku to enjoy the alledgedly amazing view. Allegedly, because when we got up there, it had started snowing. As the world down below turned into a fairytale-like scene with lights in the trees adding to the effect, the tower itself was surrounded by a thick white fog. Luckily, there were several amazing toy/gadget shops on the top floor of the building, stocking everything from tap dancing Disney dolls to electronic pets and musical piggy banks.
The next day, I went to study in Kanda, around Jimbocho, where the area is filled with second-hand book shops. One of them also had an entire floor devoted to English-language publications, from obscure books on gentleman’s fashion or Britain’s gardens to well-thumbed editions of Catcher in the Rye and the Graduate. I spent some time browsing through books in the shop, which was clearly modelled after British second-hand booksellers’shops –including heavy dark-wood book cases reaching up to the ceiling. This is an area many students frequent as well, and so I ended up memorizing my kanji surrounded by Japanese students at a nearby Starbucks, where I sat at a library-style reading table, complete with desk lamp. That night, I had my interview with Yanagisawa-san about the practicalites of my internship. There was a lot to discuss, but so far everything looks good. I’m really looking forward to working at Hitachi, and quite curious about what life in a Japanese company dorm will be like.
As this was a long weekend, I boarded an outbound train once more early Monday morning. With a couple of other JPP students, I went on a daytrip to snow-covered Nikko. Arriving at Nikko after the two hour train ride was simply amazing. The sky was a bright blue, the snow lay thick around the area, and behind the Chalet-style JR station we could see a nearby mountain range. As we had only one day, we decided to forgo the waterfalls and focus on the Tosho-gu complex instead. Walking up from the station we first passed the Shin-kyo bridge, which, with its red-laquered wooden structure and the mountains in the background, very much looked like the mental image I had of Japan before coming to Tokyo. The temple complex itself was equally wonderful: the elaborately decorated roofs were covered in thick snow blankets, and the setting in the middle of the woods added to the atmosphere. There were quite a lot of tourists, but not as many as we had feared beforehand. Of course, after visiting the temples, we climbed up the two hundred steps to Tokugawa Ieyasu’s tomb. It was surprisingly sober compared to the temples below, but the light coming through the trees in the grove was simply amazing. Having spent the best part of the day temple-viewing, we were chilled to the bone by the time we went back down into the village. We had dinner at a quaint little restaurant- which later turned out to be listed in all major travel guides. It was run by an elderly woman who turned out to be a great cook, and the walls were covered from floor to ceiling with visitors’ thank-you notes, drawings and meishi. The food was quite simple (yakitori, tsukune, soba) but the taste was amazing.
All in all, Tokyo still is an amazing city of which, despite my best efforts, I’ve only seen a tiny portion. Yet it was a terrific idea to leave the city for a change. Living in a cosmopolitan city like Tokyo, sometimes it seems like I’m not living in Japan at all, what with all the Western-style clothes, food and shops. The fresh air, the change of scenery and the historically interesting sights of Nikko have really done a world of good and made me very curious about what the rest of Japan might look like. I can’t wait to venture outside of Tokyo again.
The next day, I went to study in Kanda, around Jimbocho, where the area is filled with second-hand book shops. One of them also had an entire floor devoted to English-language publications, from obscure books on gentleman’s fashion or Britain’s gardens to well-thumbed editions of Catcher in the Rye and the Graduate. I spent some time browsing through books in the shop, which was clearly modelled after British second-hand booksellers’shops –including heavy dark-wood book cases reaching up to the ceiling. This is an area many students frequent as well, and so I ended up memorizing my kanji surrounded by Japanese students at a nearby Starbucks, where I sat at a library-style reading table, complete with desk lamp. That night, I had my interview with Yanagisawa-san about the practicalites of my internship. There was a lot to discuss, but so far everything looks good. I’m really looking forward to working at Hitachi, and quite curious about what life in a Japanese company dorm will be like.
As this was a long weekend, I boarded an outbound train once more early Monday morning. With a couple of other JPP students, I went on a daytrip to snow-covered Nikko. Arriving at Nikko after the two hour train ride was simply amazing. The sky was a bright blue, the snow lay thick around the area, and behind the Chalet-style JR station we could see a nearby mountain range. As we had only one day, we decided to forgo the waterfalls and focus on the Tosho-gu complex instead. Walking up from the station we first passed the Shin-kyo bridge, which, with its red-laquered wooden structure and the mountains in the background, very much looked like the mental image I had of Japan before coming to Tokyo. The temple complex itself was equally wonderful: the elaborately decorated roofs were covered in thick snow blankets, and the setting in the middle of the woods added to the atmosphere. There were quite a lot of tourists, but not as many as we had feared beforehand. Of course, after visiting the temples, we climbed up the two hundred steps to Tokugawa Ieyasu’s tomb. It was surprisingly sober compared to the temples below, but the light coming through the trees in the grove was simply amazing. Having spent the best part of the day temple-viewing, we were chilled to the bone by the time we went back down into the village. We had dinner at a quaint little restaurant- which later turned out to be listed in all major travel guides. It was run by an elderly woman who turned out to be a great cook, and the walls were covered from floor to ceiling with visitors’ thank-you notes, drawings and meishi. The food was quite simple (yakitori, tsukune, soba) but the taste was amazing.
All in all, Tokyo still is an amazing city of which, despite my best efforts, I’ve only seen a tiny portion. Yet it was a terrific idea to leave the city for a change. Living in a cosmopolitan city like Tokyo, sometimes it seems like I’m not living in Japan at all, what with all the Western-style clothes, food and shops. The fresh air, the change of scenery and the historically interesting sights of Nikko have really done a world of good and made me very curious about what the rest of Japan might look like. I can’t wait to venture outside of Tokyo again.
vrijdag 25 januari 2008
I. Bewilderment
Two weeks in Tokyo have gone by in the blink of an eye. There are so many things to see and do that I’ve already begun to compile mental lists of places to go to, things to experience and “interesting” food to eat. The list is endless. However, so far the score is pretty good: I’ve had jellyfish in an izakaya which was quite nice, tried the sea urchin sushi when the sushi chef came to Nichiran gakkai (loved it!), and last weekend I had octopus which looked interesting enough but was actually rather disgusting when eaten. Still, I’m all for experiencing new and preferably Japanese things. The sumo match we went to last week was terrific, especially since we got to see the usually composed and dignified Japanese business men screaming their lungs out when their favourite wrestlers walked into the ring.
Before coming to Japan I bought a new digital camera (Canon, of course) and I am glad I did. So far I’ve seen so many beautiful and sometimes bewildering things I haven’t been able to keep track of how many pictures I took. What strikes me about Tokyo is that many things seem very “normal,” “Western” or “similar” at first, but turn out to be completely different (or at least have a strange twist). In some ways this city reminds me of Paris: the way people dress, especially women in their skirts and high heels, the metro system (organized according to final destination, instead of where lines are bound like London), the love of food and eating out, and the ideas of centre-periphery (the Route Péripherique and the Yamanote line being the respective boundaries). Yet Tokyo is also completely different. My daily chikatetsu ride, for example, is nothing short of bewildering. As the doors open, the commuter-tide comes rushing in: bags, feet, elbows, knees, ribs, coats, arms are everywhere- no room left to move, or, indeed, to breathe. Yet amazingly enough, the Tokyoites remain calm and keep their poker faces on; even when crushed between tall Dutch people, they keep their cool. The silence in the metro (no cell phones, hardly any conversations) came as a pleasant surprise the first time I traveled by metro- I expect the readjustment to the Dutch railway system will not be easy.
Of course there are low points, as well. Living in Tokyo, I try to use my Japanese as much as I can, whenever wherever. Usually, subjecting unsuspecting Japanese to my limited command of the language is fun- it got me an exclusive guided tour at the Ueno Mori bijutsukan, where the English-speaking guide got so enthusiastic about my interest in Kanji and Japanese history that we explored the expo on the origin of Kanji for at least an hour together. Old ladies in shops and restaurants also respond well; they start explaining about Japanese seasonal flowers, holiday cards or which ingredients make up Gyoza. But often I’m confronted by the limitations of my Japanese language skills and/or the unwillingness of some Japanese to converse with me. This can lead to comic situations where I start asking questions about the menu in a restaurant and all I get in response is “CHIKIN! You know CHIKIN yes?”, but sometimes it’s really frustrating when I’m trying to, for example, fill out some paperwork or buy electrical appliances, and all I get are blank stares or frowns. Nevertheless, most Tokyoites I’ve met so far have been very kind and helpful and generous with compliments about my Japanese (I, of course, respond with “Iie, sono koto nai desu,” or “iie, mada mada”).
In short, my first two weeks in Tokyo have been great- I’ve experienced my first earthquake (which was quite scary, even if it was only a simulation) and as I love singing and corny pop songs, my first visit to a karaoke bar with my fellow JPP-students has been a great success. On a more serious note, last week’s self-introduction speech and meeting the Hitachi people at the Dutch embassy really boosted my willingness to get stuck in with the language studies again. Not only were my future colleagues very friendly and interested in what I had to say, it turns out that I share several interests with one of my future bosses (including Dutch history and classical music). It was great to discover that I already knew enough Japanese to keep the conversation going and explain reasonably well about my background, or ask questions about Hitachi’s Corporate Social Responsibility. We basically spoke Japanese all night, and my other boss joked that anyone speaking English to me during the internship would get fined.
I am really looking forward to my internship, but for now I’m also enjoying my freedom, going for a run at the nearby Hinoki-cho park, browsing for books at Tower Records, partying in Roppongi, making grammar exercises in the Shibuya Starbucks, and experiencing wonderful and at times surreal things on a daily basis, reminding me that I do, in fact, live in the city of Haruki Murakami- one of my favourite authors ever.
Before coming to Japan I bought a new digital camera (Canon, of course) and I am glad I did. So far I’ve seen so many beautiful and sometimes bewildering things I haven’t been able to keep track of how many pictures I took. What strikes me about Tokyo is that many things seem very “normal,” “Western” or “similar” at first, but turn out to be completely different (or at least have a strange twist). In some ways this city reminds me of Paris: the way people dress, especially women in their skirts and high heels, the metro system (organized according to final destination, instead of where lines are bound like London), the love of food and eating out, and the ideas of centre-periphery (the Route Péripherique and the Yamanote line being the respective boundaries). Yet Tokyo is also completely different. My daily chikatetsu ride, for example, is nothing short of bewildering. As the doors open, the commuter-tide comes rushing in: bags, feet, elbows, knees, ribs, coats, arms are everywhere- no room left to move, or, indeed, to breathe. Yet amazingly enough, the Tokyoites remain calm and keep their poker faces on; even when crushed between tall Dutch people, they keep their cool. The silence in the metro (no cell phones, hardly any conversations) came as a pleasant surprise the first time I traveled by metro- I expect the readjustment to the Dutch railway system will not be easy.
Of course there are low points, as well. Living in Tokyo, I try to use my Japanese as much as I can, whenever wherever. Usually, subjecting unsuspecting Japanese to my limited command of the language is fun- it got me an exclusive guided tour at the Ueno Mori bijutsukan, where the English-speaking guide got so enthusiastic about my interest in Kanji and Japanese history that we explored the expo on the origin of Kanji for at least an hour together. Old ladies in shops and restaurants also respond well; they start explaining about Japanese seasonal flowers, holiday cards or which ingredients make up Gyoza. But often I’m confronted by the limitations of my Japanese language skills and/or the unwillingness of some Japanese to converse with me. This can lead to comic situations where I start asking questions about the menu in a restaurant and all I get in response is “CHIKIN! You know CHIKIN yes?”, but sometimes it’s really frustrating when I’m trying to, for example, fill out some paperwork or buy electrical appliances, and all I get are blank stares or frowns. Nevertheless, most Tokyoites I’ve met so far have been very kind and helpful and generous with compliments about my Japanese (I, of course, respond with “Iie, sono koto nai desu,” or “iie, mada mada”).
In short, my first two weeks in Tokyo have been great- I’ve experienced my first earthquake (which was quite scary, even if it was only a simulation) and as I love singing and corny pop songs, my first visit to a karaoke bar with my fellow JPP-students has been a great success. On a more serious note, last week’s self-introduction speech and meeting the Hitachi people at the Dutch embassy really boosted my willingness to get stuck in with the language studies again. Not only were my future colleagues very friendly and interested in what I had to say, it turns out that I share several interests with one of my future bosses (including Dutch history and classical music). It was great to discover that I already knew enough Japanese to keep the conversation going and explain reasonably well about my background, or ask questions about Hitachi’s Corporate Social Responsibility. We basically spoke Japanese all night, and my other boss joked that anyone speaking English to me during the internship would get fined.
I am really looking forward to my internship, but for now I’m also enjoying my freedom, going for a run at the nearby Hinoki-cho park, browsing for books at Tower Records, partying in Roppongi, making grammar exercises in the Shibuya Starbucks, and experiencing wonderful and at times surreal things on a daily basis, reminding me that I do, in fact, live in the city of Haruki Murakami- one of my favourite authors ever.
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